20th Anniversary of the Founding
Hello everyone,
First of all, I wanted to congratulate you on these 20 years of hard work and well done.
I don't know if any of you will remember me: I'm Marisa Blanco and for many years I was part of the “Thinkers Group” at the Congrés Foundation as the mother of a person with a mental health condition. I am also a board member of the AREP association, where I have been facilitating a mutual aid group for families for 10 years, and I am part of the "Actívate for Mental Health" project, which is carried out by the Salut Mental Catalunya Federation.
I want to highlight that the “Think Tank Group” I participated in is an incredible tool. I learned a great deal from it, and I want to believe that I was also able to contribute my two cents.
Four years ago, I had to leave the group due to serious family problems, but I remember each and every one of the people who participated, always accompanied by the sure, kind, and affectionate hand of Àngels Vives who, at all times and like the other professionals involved, knew how to put themselves in others' situations in terms of language and attitudes.
The topics we worked on in this Think Tank were crucial and extremely important for the mental health collective, and the results were communicated to those individuals or organizations so that they could improve key aspects of mental health.
From the beginning, we moved through different locations. I remember the Foundation's headquarters, Casa Orlandai, the facilities at Fabra i Coats… and I remember that in the last year with you, I had the privilege of participating in a study by Merche Serrano along with Begonya, Montse, and Lourdes.
I don't want to say goodbye without mentioning two people who left us during the years I was with you: Enriqueta, a fellow thinker and tireless worker in the field of mental health; and of course Mr. Josep Clusa, about whom I couldn't add anything to what has already been said about his good character and work. May they rest in peace.
I congratulate you again, and I hope that everyone who is part of the Foundation has an emotional celebration.
Marisa Blanco
La Garriga, May 22, 2020